r e p u t a t i o n
by KNO
Summary: AU, four installments. "We think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the version of them that they have chosen to show us." - TS
1. don't blame me

**_disclaimer: I own none of these characters._**

* * *

 _ **i.**_ Tenten undoes her hair, her fingers already twitching to grasp strands into a braid.

She hasn't done this in ages. The therapist would say she's experiencing reversion to a simpler time, back when she was a girl and she wore her hair in braided twin pigtails. Tenten would say that's reaching.

It does remind her of simpler times, for sure, this monotonous action of twisting her hair together. Back when she was in grade school, she was often made fun of for appearing childish—too childish for her peers. This had been one of the kinder evils she had experienced. She was not rich like many of her classmates had been. In fact, her enrollment in private school had been a stroke of chance—her aunt had been the assistant headmistress and had some sway in choosing new students. That, and Tenten was precocious for her age.

"Tenten, what are you thinking?" says the therapist.

Tenten places her hands in her lap, leaving her braid half-undone. Her fidgeting has gotten a little out of control lately.

"I was thinking that I fidget more than I used to."

The therapist cocks her head, her gaze level. "What do you think the reason for that is?"

Tenten shrugs. "Sub-conscious level anxiety?" she proffers.

The therapist smiles, tight-lipped. Tenten notices her lipstick is smudged at the corner, probably from her lunch. "You don't have to answer like an analyst, Tenten. This is a place where you should feel free to express yourself."

Tenten purses her lips. "I don't think that would be a wise move for me to make."

"Why is that?"

Tenten almost rolls her eyes. She's no fool. Instead she says, "Look, there's no reason for us to pretend. I know that everything I say or do will be reported to my superiors, and that they will use that information to determine my termination or probation or whatever. These interviews will be used to incriminate me . . . or not."

The therapist makes some notes on her pad of paper. When she looks up again, her expression has shifted to curiosity. "Tenten, I was hired as an impartial party to this investigation. Anything I report to your superiors will be strictly clinical. I'm not here to judge you or incriminate you."

Tenten is silent and reaches up to finish her braid. As she snaps a rubber band to hold it, the therapist says, "Tell me about your childhood."

 _ **\- o -**_

Tenten takes the train back to her office. It is three in the afternoon, and the train is crowded with children headed home from school. Tenten leans against a pole, watching the buildings and people flash by outside the window.

Her phone buzzes, and she glances down to see her supervisor, Maito Gai. She answers quietly.

"Tenten! Are you almost back?"

"Boss, I'm on the train. Can I call you back in a moment?" Tenten whispers, wincing from her supervisor's loud, buoyant voice.

"Of course!"

Tenten sheepishly hangs up and smiles weakly at the passengers around her, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

She gets off at the next stop, deciding to walk the few more blocks to the office building. She redials Gai's office number. He picks up immediately.

"So! How did it go?" he asks without preamble.

Tenten exhales. "Fine. I guess."

Gai harrumphs. "Did you express yourself?"

Tenten frowns. Her relationship with her boss is complicated—mostly because if she does get fired (which is increasingly likely), he will be the one to do it. It is also because they have a father-daughter rapport, rather than superior-subordinate, which is tricky to navigate among their department.

"I would rather not," Tenten replies.

"Tenten, how can you give yourself a good defense if you don't explain your side of things?"

Tenten flushes—in shame and embarrassment. She stays silent as Gai continues, "It wasn't your fault, what happened. It was a simple mistake. But no one will see it that way if they look at the face of it. You have a good reputation in the department. You don't have to lose your job over this."

"You make it seem so easy," Tenten laughs, not really finding it funny. "People will believe what they want. A good reputation means nothing if you're the one who got someone killed unnecessarily." The words leave a bitter taste in her mouth and a pang in her heart.

Gai seems to sense the tender emotions and moves on to a different subject. "When you get here, I need to brief you on some new developments."

This pricks Tenten's attention. Unofficially, she is on probation. She had been doing nothing but pushing paper around for the past several months, biding her time while the investigation was ongoing. She didn't even have her old computer anymore; the hard drive had been confiscated by Internal Affairs.

"Why?" she asks, puzzled.

"I can't say until you get here. It's confidential and we're not on a private line."

"Okay, I'm almost there. I'll come to your office."

Gai hums his approval and hangs up. Tenten quickens her steps, curious.

Tenten scans her identity card at the entrance and presents her badge to security. She is waved through lazily to the elevators.

Tenten attempts to get to Gai's office without making eye contact with anyone in her department. Not that they would look at her anyway. She is as good as a pariah these days, since the incident.

Gai is sitting ramrod straight at his desk when Tenten knocks on the door. He waves her in, gesturing that she should shut the door behind her.

"What's going on?" Tenten asks as she sits across from him.

Gai steeples his hands as he looks at her, his face drawn into an unnaturally serious expression.

"You've been requested to assist with an investigation. They need an analyst that speaks and reads fluent Chinese."

Tenten's forehead wrinkles in confusion. "But I'm on probation," she says.

"Unofficially. But since no official order has been given concerning you, there are no restrictions to your access."

"Why me? I know of at least three or four that speak and read Mandarin."

Gai shrugs. "As far as I know, you were requested specifically."

Tenten's mouth bubbles with questions. "What am I being asked to investigate?"

"I don't know all the details, but apparently there is a Chinese mainlander plotting something in the Higashi Shina Kai." (1)

"That doesn't sound like something I should be asked to help with. Our department is strictly domestic affairs."

Gai smiles tightly. "It will become a domestic affair if let unchecked, apparently. Nonetheless, you were specially requested. And it's not like your workload is particularly heavy these days. You're supposed to meet with the investigative team at four-thirty."

Tenten checks her watch. She had around half an hour to do some research. She gets to her feet and places her hand on the doorknob. She looks over her shoulder at Gai, giving him a confused look.

"Do you know who requested me for this?"

Gai nods. "Neji Hyuga."

Tenten blinks, but if she is surprised, this is the only tic she gives. She leaves Gai's office without another word and walks to her desk, firing up her new laptop.

* * *

(1) East China Sea. It separates Japan and China.


	2. new year's day

_**disclaimer: I own none of these characters.**_

* * *

 _ **ii.**_ She knows him of course—Neji Hyuga. They have spent a large portion of their childhood and young adulthood in each other's vicinity. He went to the same private school that Tenten attended in grade school, as well as the same middle and high school. They were in the same homeroom for high school and were in several of the same after-school clubs. Their acquaintance parted briefly for college—Tenten to Tokyo Tech, Neji to UTokyo—before coming across each other again at orientation day for the Public Security Intelligence Agency. (1) If Neji had recognized her that day, he didn't act like it.

Not that Tenten was bothered by this. If anything, it was a relief—Neji had been a longtime scholastic rival of hers, as well as one of the children who had made fun of her in elementary school (he had not laughed or joked or bullied her like the other kids—Neji's form of humiliation had been distinctly dismissive). Besides, they didn't even work in the same department. He worked upstairs in investigative operations.

She saw him, sometimes. In the elevator, outside eating lunch, leaving the building late at night—but she had never spoken to him, and neither had he.

And now, as Tenten takes the stairs to the next floor up, she wonders what had made Neji Hyuga consider her for this support position on his investigative team. It certainly wasn't their friendship, as they were not friends. Tenten taps her fingers on the railing as she climbs the stairs, wondering what the proper length of time is for not speaking to someone and how it correlates to acquaintanceship.

When she reaches the landing, she walks to the department's reception desk and asks for directions. The receptionist gestures to the first conference room to the right. Tenten checks her watch; she is five minutes early.

As she walks through the door, Tenten breathes a sigh of relief to find it empty. She settles into a chair facing the door. There is a bay of windows to her back, and Tenten gazes outside, studying the view. Her desk view downstairs is not nearly as pretty since she is surrounded by cubicles on all sides.

She has always enjoyed afternoon light. Something about the way light filters down in a slant through the trees—

The door opens and Tenten tenses, standing to her feet. Neji Hyuga sweeps into the room, carrying a laptop and notepad.

"Hyuga-san," Tenten says, bowing slightly in greeting.

Neji returns the bow, but says nothing, closing the door behind him.

Tenten sits back down, her palms slightly clammy. Neji walks over and takes the seat at the head of the conference table. He powers up his laptop, makes a note on his notebook, and then looks at her. Tenten stares back.

"Yesterday at fourteen hundred hours, a freighter from Shanghai left port with an unidentified cargo. It is believed the freighter will land at Hamada in the next day or so, as they are suffering inclement weather. It was rented by a Li Zhao. After refueling at Hamada, it is suspected to head for Chongjin." (2)

Tenten mulls over this information. She has heard of Li Zhao before—he was a Japanese citizen with Chinese roots and dabbled in a variety of criminal behaviors. The last she had heard of him, he had moved to his parents' hometown in south China.

"I believe he may be transporting Japanese citizens to North Korea."

"For what purpose?"

"If I knew that, I would say so," Neji replies in a clipped tone.

Tenten purses her lips, and Neji goes on, "I need you to translate the freighter messages. And I'll need you to come with me to Hamada tomorrow to surveil the cargo ship and its crew."

Tenten's forehead creases. "Why do we have to go to Hamada? This sounds like a foreign investigation, not a domestic one." (3)

Neji eyes her. "I have reason to believe that there is a terrorist group developing in Hamada and Iwami. From what I can gather, they are involved in several things—a prominent one being trafficking." (4)

"Trafficking what?"

"The usual things—arms, drugs. People."

Tenten sighs, mentally churning through this new intel. "They must be a new organization if I haven't received anything across my desk."

Neji looks away from her, studying the screen on his laptop. He glances at his watch as he says, "I've worked with some other analysts on this particular group. But my main specialist recently passed away."

His words are like a slap to the face. Tenten's face flushes crimson and she is embarrassed to hear a breath escape her lips.

Neji ignores the display of emotion—Tenten cannot discern if it is to his credit or detriment.

He begins typing in silence on his laptop as Tenten attempts to slow her erratic heartbeat. A moment later, Neji glances at her.

"I've just emailed you the freighter messages. Please translate them and email them back to me by the end of the day. We'll leave for Hamada in the morning at eight a.m. sharp. Please dress as a citizen. I will email if you need to bring anything additional."

"There's no one else on this team?"

"No. This investigation is strictly confidential. A small team greatly increases the success rate."

Tenten nods once, then stands to leave. She bows her head and walks to the door. She turns back to say something generic to break the uncomfortable tension—like "see you tomorrow" or "I'll get these translations back to you soon"—but pauses when she finds Neji regarding her seriously.

He gestures with his hand, but Tenten doesn't understand what he's referring to. She shoots him a confused look.

"I thought you would have outgrown wearing braids, but I suppose not," he says, his tone a mix of bemusement and disapproval.

Tenten flushes again and bows quickly before slipping out of the conference room.

 _ **\- o -**_

The comebacks, of course, come later. The "well, I guess you're just as mature as you were in high school" and "oh, really? Well you look stupid"—Tenten is somewhat grateful that these occur to her later.

The messages from the freighter take a good part of an hour for her to translate. When she is done parsing, she scrolls to the top of the document to read through.

It only takes about five minutes—most of the message is just navigational reporting to the Shanghai port, as well as some back-and-forth about the storm that the freighter was going to sail through. She sees nothing in the transcript about what the cargo might be.

She forwards the document to Neji, and then pulls open her internet browser. Tenten's research focuses on Hamada's port—main travel roads, nearby buildings, who's at port and who's not.

It is just past seven when Tenten rises from her desk to head home. She waves goodbye to the few of her cubicle-mates that remain and walks to the hall to take the elevator down.

The doors slide open, and Tenten looks up to see Neji, his face expressionless. She reluctantly steps into the elevator.

The doors close, and they ride down to the lobby in silence. Tenten spends the entire elevator ride trying to think of something to say. It is only after the elevator doors slide open that she blurts out, "Have you been to Hamada before?"

Neji looks at her, his forehead creased in either confusion or annoyance—Tenten isn't sure which. Instead of answering, he gestures for her to get off the elevator first. Hurriedly, Tenten bustles out, and Neji follows.

Tenten wishes she could take the question back. Why hadn't she just waited another ten seconds for them to part ways? Then they would have been spared this painful conversation.

"I went once with my family. To see Hamada Castle," Neji answers. (5)

"Ah, nice. I'm sure that was a fun trip." Tenten pauses, wondering if there is a way to end their conversation without awkwardness.

Neji bows his head to her and says a crisp, "Good night."

Tenten returns the nod and watches Neji sweep out of the lobby and onto the sidewalk, his pace brisk.

Even though Tenten is grateful that he gave her a way out, she wonders if it was for her benefit or for his. Was he on his way to meet someone?

Tenten thinks hard as she exits the lobby, trying to remember if Neji had been mentioned at their last high school reunion three years ago. She ponders for a moment before shaking her head at her foolishness. Who cares where Neji Hyuga goes after work? It wasn't any of her business.

As is her custom since the incident, Tenten walks down the street to the nearest bar and orders her first round of Asahi and some tsukune. (6)

She scrolls through her phone as she finishes off her snack and orders another beer.

It is around eleven and after five beers that Tenten decides she should go home. She walks out to the sidewalk, intending to head towards the subway. Instead, she jumps on a bus and settles in for the short ride.

Aoyama Cemetery is quiet at night, but it doesn't scare Tenten, mostly because she's too drunk to be scared. (7)

She walks the familiar paths in the dark, listening to the wind sway the trees. It is cherry blossom season, and Tenten feels petals swirl around her face and hands as she walks, disturbing their freefall.

When she reaches the small stone marker, Tenten bows her head deeply and sighs. She reaches into her bag and places an unopened beer on the grave's ledge.

Tenten stands there, peering at the grave and thinking for no more than ten minutes. She turns on her heel, heading back to the road and walks along until she finds a subway entrance.

Back at Aoyama Cemetery, the beer rests next to a simple and modest script.

It reads in kanji:

 _ **LEE**_

 _ **1983 – 2017**_

* * *

(1) PSIA is equivalent to the United States' CIA/FBI, Israel's Mossad, or the United Kingdom's MI6.

(2) Hamada is a port city of Japan on the Sea of Japan. Chongjin is a port city in North Korea.

(3) PSIA is divided into divisions. There is a domestic and foreign division. I'm assuming a domestic agent doesn't interfere with foreign issues, though I am not 100% sure.

(4) Iwami is a province in Shimane Prefecture.

(5) Hamada Castle is a ruin now, but gives good views of the coast.

(6) Asahi is a brand of beer. Tsukune are Japanese chicken meatballs. It's common to eat a snack while drinking in Japan.

(7) This cemetery is in Minato, Tokyo. It is known for its cherry blossom trees and its graves for foreigners.


	3. dancing with our hands tied

_**disclaimer: I own none of these characters.**_

* * *

 _ **iii.**_ Tenten's head pounds as she follows Neji onto the bus. Her sunglasses are doing little to diminish the sunshine; it feels like knives are stabbing her eyeballs every time she blinks.

It is around one in the afternoon. Tenten had spent their almost four-hour flight sleeping—she had not even made it through take-off before passing out. The bus from the Iwami Airport would take a little over an hour to reach Hamada. (1)

She sits down next to Neji, grateful that he took the window seat. He has been checking his phone constantly since landing, looking for news on the freighter's position which he charged some other analyst to keep him updated on.

About a minute after the bus pulls onto the highway, Neji puts his phone back into his pocket.

"Still out to sea?" Tenten asks, barely above a whisper. She winces at the hoarseness of her voice.

"Yes," Neji replies. He turns his head and looks at her, his eyes narrowed. "Late night? You passed out right before the plane took off."

Tenten shrugs. "I guess so."

Neji stares at her, but Tenten changes the subject, "What's the plan when we get to the port?"

"We're just gathering intel. We'll figure out where the freighter is supposed to dock and then watch what happens."

"What if there is illegal cargo in there?" Tenten asks, lowering her voice.

"Then we will report it to headquarters."

Tenten glances up at him. She is still wearing her sunglasses, and Neji appears a shade darker. She whispers, "But what if it's people?"

Neji blinks. Tenten notices that he really does have lovely eyes, even if they are an unnatural color.

"Then we will report it to headquarters."

Tenten does not like this answer. Neji notices.

"This is not a sting operation. We are gathering information to prosecute. Interfering now would be premature."

Tenten supposes he is right. But she also knows that if there are trafficking victims in that freighter, she will do everything she can to prevent them from being placed on North Korean soil. Besides, she is going to lose her job anyway, right?

Thirty minutes before arriving in Hamada, Tenten asks Neji a question she has been wondering since the day before.

"Why did you request my help for this? You didn't need me to come to Hamada. I could have stayed behind and monitored the freighter's movements and done more research on our suspect."

Neji takes a long time to answer, staring at his hands that are folded in his lap.

"You're fluent in Mandarin," he finally says.

Tenten scoffs. "Is that the only reason?"

Neji pauses and looks at her seriously. "Lee spoke of your good reputation. He said that you were always a better translator, a better analyst than he. After he died, I wondered if that was true."

Tenten's headache feels worse suddenly. She rubs her temples with the tips of her fingers.

"Well," she replies slowly, "it was bad timing on your part. I'm as good as unemployed."

Silence stretches between them for a moment.

"What happened that day?" Neji asks.

"I'm sure you've heard plenty of rumors," Tenten rebuffs.

"Rumors are rumors."

Tenten sighs and picks at some lint sticking to her black slacks. "We were working on some intel about a group we suspected were attempting to send poisoned letters to the ministers of state and the prime minister. Lee went to meet someone I believed was an informant for the group. He was not."

After a moment, Neji says, "So you had bad intel."

"Yes. But I should have known it was bad. Looking back on it, I should have known—it didn't follow the pattern of any of our other informers. It was too inclusive and in-line with what we knew about the group at the time. I never should have let Lee go by himself. I should have gotten approval from Gai before we tried to make contact."

"You weren't responsible for his death," Neji murmurs.

"I know that," Tenten sharply replies. "The bastard who killed him is the one responsible. But it doesn't mean that my hands are clean. My supposed 'good reputation' means nothing. I made a mistake that cost a life."

The bus pulls into the station, and passengers begin filing off. Tenten and Neji stand and join the throng to exit.

Tenten feels a hand squeeze her shoulder, and she blushes, thankful that he can't see her face.

Outside, Neji leads the way to the street to hail a taxi. When one pulls up, Neji instructs the driver to take them to Hamada's harbor.

The ride is quick, and when they exit the taxi the air is sharp with the smell of salt.

Neji appraises her. "Where do you think is the likeliest place for them to refuel?"

Tenten looks around them before pulling out her phone, looking at the points that she had marked on her mobile map.

"We should head towards the Coast Guard office near Hodojiyama Park. Some of the other docks would be too small for a freighter."

Neji nods, and they fall into step as they begin following the map.

"You know," Tenten begins after a few minutes of walking, "I don't think I'm satisfied with the answer you gave on the bus. Why would my reputation matter to you? You've known me since grade school—or have you forgotten?"

"Are you saying you're the same person since grade school?" Before she can respond, Neji goes on, "I guess I've already answered my own question. You do still wear braids after all. So, are you the same person?"

"Is anyone the same after twenty years?" Tenten retorts, somewhat frustrated. "No."

"I didn't forget you," Neji says after a beat. "I was surprised when you didn't follow me to university."

Tenten rolls her eyes. "Like I would follow you anywhere." She winces as the words leave her mouth. Maybe she _isn't_ all that different from ten years ago.

For his part, Neji doesn't seem offended. He smirks down at her.

"I was surprised when you were in PSIA orientation that day," Neji says. "You were the last person I expected to see there."

"Why?"

Neji slides his hands into his pockets, thinking. "You always seemed very focused. I figured you would go into law or something like that."

"You thought I wanted to be a lawyer?"

"You were always very adamant during debates," Neji says, shrugging.

"It was debate club. You were supposed to be adamant," Tenten replies, glancing up at him.

Another beat passes. Tenten can see the curve of the road, the green hill of Hodojiyama Park.

"Why did you go to Tokyo Tech anyway? You had the scores to go to UTokyo."

Tenten raises her eyebrows. "How did you remember that I went to Tokyo Tech? That was ten years ago."

Neji shrugs again, shaking his head slightly.

Tenten blinks at him, then grins. "Neji Hyuga, did you have a crush on me in high school?"

Neji treats her to a level gaze. He is mature enough not to blush. "And if I did?"

Tenten flushes bright red and mutters something under her breath about keeping tabs on people.

Smoothly, Neji says, "I haven't kept tabs on you if that's what you're wondering. Like you said, it was years ago. I asked you to help me with this because you _do_ have a good reputation in your department and you're one of the best analysts in the PSIA. I didn't need Lee to convince me of that."

They are almost to the long stretch of dock where bigger ships might moor. (2) Tenten does not reply.

Neji checks his phone again for any new messages. "They should dock in around an hour. We should find somewhere that accesses the dock easy to surveil."

Tenten nods and they begin their search for cover. She checks her saved map.

"There's a small shrine at the tip of the mainland. If they don't want to land too close inland, they might use this dock." Tenten shows him on her phone.

"Let's go," Neji agrees, and they set off.

The afternoon is waning. It is almost four by the time they reach the small tree-clustered shrine by the sea. The sun will set in about three hours.

Tenten hopes their surveillance will be over long before then.

They decide to explore the stone path up to the shrine. The trees are densely packed, and it is nice to feel some shade after walking for a while.

Their feet end abruptly on the path—it is a very small plot of land. (3) The shrine itself is small. It is dusty with leaves, the faded paper _shide_ swaying in the breeze from the sea. (4)

Moved by the simplicity of this shrine, hidden away at the edge of the sea, Tenten says, "This reminds me of Lee's grave. Did you know that the PSIA is making me see a therapist? Was that in the rumor mill?"

Neji looks over at her through the afternoon light, but Tenten keeps staring at the shrine. "Whatever she tells them, the PSIA will use it to get me fired. Which is probably for the best. But what I'm trying to say is, thank you." She meets his gaze calmly. "Thank you for letting me have one last contribution."

Neji opens his mouth to say something, but his phone buzzes insistently in his hand. Tenten breaks their gaze, bowing slightly to the shrine out of respect and gratefulness.

"They're docking."

Tenten nods and turns, heading back down the stairs. Neji follows silently.

A clunky brown ship comes into view as Neji and Tenten emerge from the trees. It is holding four shipping containers on its deck.

Neji and Tenten watch as the freighter slowly slides past, heading towards the dock closer to the Coast Guard office. Tenten notes the Chinese flag and Shanghai written on the stern.

The pair follow at a distance.

As the freighter nears the dock, a handful of men emerge and begin their docking preparations. On the dock, a group of deck officers start giving instructions, waving clipboards. (5)

"Let's go," Tenten says. "They'll have to open one of the containers to check the cargo."

"Or they'll make excuses to avoid it," Neji adds.

They walk at an even pace, appearing as simple exercisers. As they get closer, they hear the beginnings of an argument. In choppy Japanese, the captain of the freighter dismisses the gangplank the deck officers try to push close to the ship, shaking his head. He repeats over and over that they just need to re-fuel.

The deck officers refuse, citing protocol.

Neji takes Tenten's arm as they turn inland, searching for a place where they can observe. They find a bench about a hundred yards from the dock and sit, straining to hear.

The deck officers continue to insist on following their protocol sheet, or they would deny fuel. The captain waves a wad of money in their faces, but the officers on land look indignant and begin shouting to let them board.

Tenten watches as the captain pockets the money and eventually shrugs. He calls over his shoulder in Chinese to his crew to get off the ship.

"They're leaving the ship," Tenten translates for Neji, her forehead creased in confusion.

The gangplank is brought and the Chinese crew head down. The captain is last and tosses the keys to one of the deck officers. In Japanese, he says something about going to get a drink with his crew and that they'll return later.

The deck officers watch them go, cursing and rolling their eyes. One by one they ascend the gangplank stairs and head towards the shipping containers.

"What is going on?" Tenten whispers to herself. "Why would they just leave like that? Should we arrest them?"

Neji shakes his head.

They watch the deck officers try different keys until they find the right one. The door swings open, but the deck officers do not exclaim or cry out.

There is an all-consuming sound of for four successive explosions.

* * *

(1) I'm sort of stretching this time frame. I couldn't find exactly how long it would be to take a bus from the airport to Hamada City, so please excuse this if I'm way off. For reference, according to Google Maps and other travel tourism sites, it would take a little less than an hour by car.

(2) I'm taking a lot of liberty here with the Hamada harbor. I don't know exactly where a freighter would dock, nor if freighters do dock at Hamada. Hamada is a well-known port and it participates in domestic and international trade. Ships carrying logs and used cars to Russia dock at Hamada, as well as cruise ships. So, make of that what you will.

(3) The shrine I'm referring to here is called Oshimatenmangu. It is a Shinto shrine, and the only pictures I could see of it were on Google Maps. I couldn't locate any other info about it on the internet. So please know everything I say about it is embellished, as I have not been there personally.

(4) _Shide_ are zig-zag streamers hung from twisted rope above the entrance of a shrine. It is considered a way to help _kami_ (spirits) ascend to earth, according to one article. They are used in Shinto rituals.

(5) Deck officers work both on and off ships.


	4. delicate

_**disclaimer: I own none of these characters.**_

* * *

 _ **iv.**_ Tenten and Neji are thrown back off the bench. Tenten hits her head on the corner of a building and her vision suddenly goes black.

When she awakens, it can only be moments later. There are people and flames and Tenten can't tell if the people are on fire or not. She hears the distant wailing of a fire truck. Her head pangs at every movement. Something wet is on her forehead, and Tenten brushes her hand at the spot. She is unsurprised to see blood.

She looks around, every movement sluggish and delayed. Neji is lying facedown about a foot from her. Tenten crawls to his side and lets out a cry of frustration as she searches for a pulse.

She doesn't think she can bear to go through this trauma again.

 _ **\- o -**_

Hours later, they are in a quiet and clean hospital.

Tenten's head is bandaged, as well as her arms and hands from being cut by flying shrapnel. She flips her phone over and over in her hands, waiting. By her side, Neji is still asleep from surgery. Tenten stares at him for a while before looking away, walking over to the window. She can see the harbor from here, though she can no longer make out the smoke from the explosion. Night has fallen.

Her phone buzzes in her hands and Tenten immediately picks up.

"Gai?" she asks.

"Tenten, what happened?"

Tenten sighs, feeling moisture pool behind her eyelids. A few tears slip down her cheeks.

"Gai . . . I'm so sorry. For everything," Tenten says.

Gai's voice is tense on the other line. "Tenten, just tell me what happened."

Tenten retells the entire afternoon, describing the freighter and its crew in detail. She reports what elements she can about the explosion and the aftermath. She looks over her shoulder at Neji as she defines his injuries.

His eyes momentarily crack open.

Tenten watches him as Gai tells her their next steps: The nearest department of PSIA agents will come to the hospital to take statements and maybe take a sketch of the captain from the freighter. The entire PSIA will be notified of the terrorist group and will begin working to track down the culprits. Gai bids her goodbye reluctantly, and Tenten wonders if it's because she's already been fired.

She sets the phone down and goes to Neji's side. He regards her tiredly.

"How are you feeling?" she asks tentatively.

Neji shrugs, then winces—he received a large piece of shrapnel to his shoulder; his suture is fresh.

"How are you?" he replies, his lips dry and cracked.

"I'm fine." Tenten pauses. "That was Gai on the phone. They're sending some local PSIA agents to take statements."

Neji leans his head back deeper into the pillows he's propped up on.

"Your surgery went well, if you're curious," she continues, picking at a loose thread from the bedsheets. "We were really lucky, so I'm told."

"I'm sorry," Neji says abruptly.

Tenten raises her eyebrows, flinching from the cut on her head. "For what?"

"For not being more cautious. For dragging you to Hamada."

"If I hadn't been here you would probably be dead," Tenten says. "Maybe my being here was meant to be."

Neji breaks their gaze, his mouth a grim line.

"That explosion wasn't meant to go off. I'm sure they'll be in big trouble with their boss. Freighters are expensive. And so were all those bombs."

"Something's been bothering me about that," Tenten says, chewing on her fingernail. "If those bombs were meant for somewhere else, then where? Surely, they wouldn't have sailed them all the way to Chongjin. What purpose would that have served?"

"Maybe that was where they were headed on paper. Busan is close. So is Sapporo." (1)

Tenten mulls this over. "What could their end game be?" she wonders aloud.

She and Neji look at each other, searching for answers.

 ** _\- o -_**

The PSIA agents arrive several hours later, close to midnight.

Neji has dozed on and off since first waking. The nurse had come in several times during the night to check his charts, giving Tenten curious glances. Tenten ignores her, scanning her phone for new messages from Gai. He hadn't reached out since their first phone call.

The questioning went on until almost three in the morning with Neji and Tenten taking turns at answering.

When they had exhausted their list, the agents left with grim faces. Tenten wasn't sure if it was for she and Neji or from the information they'd given them.

She looks over at Neji wearily, leaning against the wall.

"That was tiring," is all he says.

"Are you sleepy? Or hungry? I can try and find a vending machine?" Tenten offers.

Neji shakes his head. After a moment, he says, "You said PSIA has you meeting with a psychologist. What do you talk to them about?"

Tenten smiles uneasily. "You're half-dead in a hospital and you want me to divulge my therapy meetings to you?"

"I'm far from half-dead." He hesitates for a moment. "You don't have to tell me."

"This isn't a very fair conversation," Tenten says, diverting. "I know next to nothing about you since you left high school."

Neji leans back, smirking softly. "There's nothing to tell. I went to college, I graduated, I got a job, I almost got blown up today. It's been straightforward."

Tenten chuckles. "You know what's funny? We get to high school and we have all these aspirations about college and adulthood and career—and often, it never turns out like that. We waste so much time."

Neji levels a gaze at her. "Yes, we do."

Tenten chews on the inside of her cheek absently and answers his previous question. "There's nothing to tell. And you should sleep."

Neji's mouth purses, but he does not protest. Tenten crosses the room to the window again, her eyes stinging from exhaustion. When she looks over her shoulder ten minutes later, Neji's eyes are closed. Whether he is asleep or pretending, Tenten has no idea.

 ** _\- o -_**

In the morning, Neji is discharged, his clothes bulky underneath from the bandages. The PSIA agents from the night before had given them instructions and resources on returning to Tokyo, and Neji and Tenten take a taxi straight to the airport.

Their flight is quiet. When they arrive in Tokyo, it is the middle of the afternoon. A PSIA car is waiting for them outside the airport to take them to headquarters.

Neji looks over to her during their ride and says quietly, "I'll vouch for you, you know."

Tenten gives him a tight smile. "You don't have to do that. I'm already fired anyway."

"Maybe not," he says.

Tenten shrugs and turns to the window, watching the buildings flit by, her hands resting in her lap.

 _ **\- o -**_

By the end of the day, Tenten is fired. True to his word, Neji vouches for her, but the disciplinary board had already made up their minds prior to their return.

Tenten cleans out her desk and shakes her head with a small smile when Gai offers to walk her out of the building.

Gai tells her at the end of the disciplinary meeting that he has contacts who would hire her. Tenten leaves with a pocketful of business cards.

Neji is standing in the lobby when the elevator doors open. Tenten flushes from embarrassment.

"I'm starting to get sick of seeing you," she says jokingly.

Neji regards her, a serious expression on his face.

"Let me buy you dinner," he says.

Tenten blushes again—this time from flattery.

"That's not necessary," she stammers.

"It's the least I can do."

Tenten winces. "I don't do pity dinners."

"This isn't out of pity."

Tenten raises her eyebrows, clearly challenging that notion. Neji raises his chin slightly in pride. "You can only feel sorry for yourself for so long, Tenten. It's time to let go."

"What are you, a therapist?" she shoots back, hating the heat that floods her face.

Neji eyes her, a slow smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. "No. Just a friend."

 _ **\- 6 months later -**_

Tenten stirs her noodles with a pair of chopsticks, thoughtful. Rain runs in rivulets down the window in front of her. From her street-facing seat, Tenten watches Tokyo turn shades darker as the sun sets. Tenten inhales the steam from the ramen, and her mouth waters.

Tenten glances at her watch. _7:30 pm._ She decides to wait another five minutes out of politeness.

At 7:36, Tenten is happily slurping up her noodles when he arrives. He shoots her an amused look—the slightest quirk of an eyebrow—before going to order his own meal.

Tenten smiles sheepishly when he sits next to her a few moments later, carrying his own bowl of noodles.

They eat in silence, watching the street.

Tenten finishes first and asks, "How was your day?"

Neji nods, setting his chopsticks down. "Long. Mountains of paperwork, as usual."

"You should request a vacation," Tenten says.

Neji raises his eyebrows, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "What did you have in mind?"

Tenten shrugs, eyes gleaming. "I hear Thailand is lovely this time of year."

Neji peers outside at the rain that is still falling. "Isn't Thailand supposed to be lovely year-round?"

"Something like that."

Neji smirks at her answer.

"Shall we go?" Neji asks.

Tenten nods and gathers her things, following him outside. They walk hurriedly through the rain to reach a main thoroughfare, and Neji hails a taxi.

"The airport, please," Tenten says as they slide in.

 ** _\- o -_**

"I'm never leaving this beach."

Neji looks over to Tenten. She is laid out in the sand, her tanned skin gleaming with sweat. Her eyes are obscured by big, black sunglasses.

"You should put on sunscreen before you get cancer," Neji admonishes, withdrawing a hand from his book to toss her the sunscreen bottle he bought in the hotel lobby.

"I am immune to cancer while I'm lying on this beach. This is heaven."

Neji's forehead creases. He wonders if she's making a pun on purpose.

"Let's go swim," he says, standing from his beach chair and tossing the book onto a set of towels they brought down with them.

Tenten springs up.

"Race you," she says, and sets off, her long, athletic legs bounding across the sand.

Neji sprints to catch up, but Tenten dives into the water seconds before Neji reaches her.

They swim out a quarter mile from shore, heads bobbing in aquamarine water. Neji stretches out a hand across the water, and Tenten wordlessly glides into his embrace.

Their kiss is salty, with a lingering tang of the oranges they snacked on an hour ago.

"Who would have thought it," Tenten muses, her lips brushing his as she speaks.

"What?"

"That something so delicate would end up unbreakable."

Neji smooths a hand over her back, his fingers resting on her spine. He presses his mouth to hers, not bothering with a reply.

They have all their answers anyway.

* * *

(1) Busan is a port city in South Korea. Sapporo is the capital of Hokkaido.

 ** _This short fic was loosely inspired by Taylor Swift's "Reputation" album. I hope you enjoyed._**


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